美国国家公共电台 NPR--The House passed new gun measures after heart wrenching testimony from survivors

The House passed new gun measures after heart wrenching¹ testimony² from survivors⁴

Transcript⁵

Steve Inskeep asks Greg Jackson Jr. of the Community Justice Action Fund about a House vote on gun reforms and the calls from gun violence survivors to pass new legislation.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll gives Americans' views on guns and gun violence. Most said it was more important to address violence than to protect any perceived threat to gun rights. The House voted yesterday to ban sales of high-capacity magazines and to raise the minimum age for buying semiautomatic weapons to 21. In some states, it's 18. The measures cleared the House after committee testimony from people who've experienced the effects of gun violence. Kimberly Rubio talked about losing her daughter Lexi in the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

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KIMBERLY RUBIO: We understand that for some reason, to some people - to people with money, to people who fund political campaigns - that guns are more important than children. So at this moment we ask for progress.

INSKEEP: Greg Jackson Jr. also testified before the House Oversight⁶ Committee. He is executive director of the Community Justice Action Fund, and he joins us now. Good morning, sir.

GREGORY JACKSON JR: Hey, good morning.

INSKEEP: What was it like to be in the room for that kind of testimony?

JACKSON: Oh, I mean, heartbreaking and just to see so much pain in those who have been directly impacted - we had survivors from Buffalo⁷, Uvalde and other forms of gun violence, you know, across the country, all in one room, pouring their heart out before the members and then hearing the members really debate something that's life or death for so many Americans.

INSKEEP: When you say people who have been affected⁸ by gun violence, do you count yourself among them?

JACKSON: I do. I'm a survivor³ of gun violence. I was shot on April 21 of 2013, unfortunately.

INSKEEP: What happened?

JACKSON: Actually, I was walking home. You know, I was walking home, and there was two folks having an altercation⁹, and it turned into gunfire. And I was shot as an innocent bystander. And the bullet that hit me hit two arteries¹⁰, and I nearly bled to death. My recovery took 21 days in the hospital, six surgeries and about six months to learning how to walk again and get back to some form of normal.

INSKEEP: I'm interested by your description as - of yourself as an innocent bystander. One of the arguments, of course, about gun violence is that if people had more guns, they could defend themselves. I'm not sure that would apply in your case. Would it have applied¹¹ in your case?

JACKSON: Definitely not. You know, I think people don't realize with gun violence, it happens so fast. And in so many situations, you know, folks who are just walking by or standing¹² by or unfortunately, folks like Pamela Thomas in D.C., who was shot while driving - you know, a lot of us are losing our lives and being harmed without being a part of the initial situation that led to violence.

INSKEEP: What would you like to change?

JACKSON: Well, I think there's a lot we can change. But most importantly, we need to acknowledge this as a public health crisis. And with every other public health crisis, we've seen a public health response that includes resources for victim services and those directly impacted. It also includes a real policy change that reduces the risk factors of violence. And a lot of that was what we saw in the package that was voted on yesterday. But we need that comprehensive strategy and plan that addresses the hardware and, frankly¹³, the oversaturation of guns in our communities, as well as resources to help the 100,000 people every year that are directly impacted by gun violence and are traumatized forever.

INSKEEP: Let me give you a chance to address people on the other side of this. We know that certain kinds of gun regulation are constitutional. The reason we know that is because Antonin Scalia, a conservative justice revered¹⁴ by conservatives, authored a gun decision in 2008 which actually threw out a gun regulation, but also said that reasonable regulations are OK - acknowledged, in effect, that reasonable regulations are OK. So we don't need to discuss that it's constitutional. And yet critics of gun control claim that any gun control is unconstitutional. And what they really seem to mean, I think, is that it's a slippery slope. If you start allowing any gun regulation, you will end up having all gun regulation or taking away guns. How, if at all, would you reassure¹⁵ anyone who does have a right to firearms in America and does have that fear?

JACKSON: Yeah. I mean, this is not an attack on folks' right to hold a gun. We've seen very clearly that every part of the Constitution is pushing for your rights to be upheld within reason. You know, just like - we have the First Amendment¹⁶. It still means you can't yell fire, you know, in a movie theater, and the same thing with guns. We know that people have the right to protect themselves and their family, but we don't have the right to bear arms that can decapitate people. You know, and unfortunately, we heard from the pediatrician yesterday during the hearing, you know, there was some of the children who were literally¹⁷ decapitated by the strength of these firearms. And that type of weaponry is not built for defense¹⁸. It's not built for protecting your family. It's only built to destroy people in mass. And unfortunately, that's what's happening in too many of our communities across the country. So these regulations are just meant to keep these weapons within reason of protecting yourself, without arming those who mean to do harm, to destroy people and destroy entire communities.

INSKEEP: In about 30 seconds, would you say the measure passed yesterday by the House would have prevented a shooting like that in Uvalde?

JACKSON: It definitely would have prevented a shooting like that, and I think so many others in the past.

INSKEEP: Mr. Jackson, thanks very much for your time. I really appreciate it.

JACKSON: All right. Thank you.

INSKEEP: Greg Jackson, Jr. testified yesterday before a House committee just before the House passed some gun regulation measures. He heads the Community Justice Action Fund.

1 wrenching   

n.修截苗根，苗木铲根（铲根时苗木不起土或部分起土）v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的现在分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛

参考例句：

• China has been through a wrenching series of changes and experiments. 中国经历了一系列艰苦的变革和试验。 来自辞典例句
• A cold gust swept across her exposed breast, wrenching her back to reality. 一股寒气打击她的敞开的胸膛，把她从梦幻的境地中带了回来。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

2 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

3 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

4 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

5 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

6 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

7 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

8 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

9 altercation   

n.争吵，争论

参考例句：

• Throughout the entire altercation,not one sensible word was uttered.争了半天，没有一句话是切合实际的。
• The boys had an altercation over the umpire's decision.男孩子们对裁判的判决颇有争议。

10 arteries   

n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道

参考例句：

• Even grafting new blood vessels in place of the diseased coronary arteries has been tried. 甚至移植新血管代替不健康的冠状动脉的方法都已经试过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is the place where the three main arteries of West London traffic met. 这就是伦敦西部三条主要交通干线的交汇处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

12 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

13 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

14 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

15 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

16 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

17 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

18 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。